


Blood Moon

by BurrSir_1776



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action & Romance, Action Dueling, Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Remus Lupin, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Car Chases, Fluff and Angst, Gay Sirius Black, Hurt Remus Lupin, Hurt/Comfort, James Potter Being an Asshole, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Peter Pettigrew Sucks, Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Sad Sirius Black, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, This is also on wattpad, This is such a dumb idea, Threats of Violence, Violence, Werewolf Remus Lupin, dammit moon moon, gay shit, harry potter shit, i am a lesbian why do i keep writing about men, i cant pick between fluff and angst to prepare to suffer, im quarantined so this is happening, same username shameless self promo, werewolf vibes, wolfstar, you cant change my mind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:41:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23194909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurrSir_1776/pseuds/BurrSir_1776
Summary: Remus Lupin just wants to live his life. He has coping mechanisms for his lycanthropy, an excellent school, the friendships of a lifetime, and.. maybe a little crush on his best friend. He's finally as accepted as he's ever been. But when a group of vigilante wizards decide to hunt down the "disgraces" of the wizarding world... things begin to change.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. INTRODUCTION

It's 1977 and the Marauders are riding high in their sixth year at Hogwarts. They're still working out the kinks after newly becoming Animagi, but life is good. Wreaking havoc about the school and pissing off any teacher they happen to interact with is beyond entertaining- even Remus gets into it from time to time. The school year has settled into session and students are re-accustomed to their new routine, the Marauders' chaos only worsening year by year. Regardless of the mischief, everything feels safe. The first Hogsmeade trip comes and goes (accompanied by another attempt at Lily made by James- "I swear she's into me!! She didn't shove me into any foliage this time.."), and Remus is trying to cope with some new potential- and for the time being, nameless- feelings. It isn't until around mid-October when a foreign face shows itself in the castle, that everything changes for the boys.


	2. I- You're a twat

“Powdered root of asphodel, professor.” 

Remus, as usual, had his hand up as soon as the question left Professor Slughorn’s mouth. 

“Yes, that’s right, Mr. Lupin. And we mix that with infusion of wormwood in order to...”

Slughorn’s drawling became idle background noise as Remus glanced a few desks over at his dear friend James, who was taking this opportunity to be a massive prick. He was not-so-subtly pulling a face and miming kissing… well, kissing Slughorn’s ass. Sirius and Peter were sitting just a few seats behind him, poorly stifling laughter.

Remus mouthed a few choice profanities in his direction and snapped his attention back towards the front of the class.

“Once the mixture is at a low simmer, we must stir it  _ exactly  _ twenty-two times and remove it....”

The bell rang shortly thereafter and Remus made a mental note to kick him.

They gathered their items and swung out of class, headed back to the common room for the afternoon. A sharp punch to the shoulder was the extent of his grudge toward James, and the boys had found something new to occupy themselves with by the end of the journey from the dungeons to Gryffindor tower.

“So, Paaadfoot-” James spoke while a mischievous grin spread across his face. Sirius looked up and shot him an inquisitive look in response. “-How’s  _ Victoria _ doing?”

Sirius paled and his shoulders visibly tensed. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. “What?”

“Come  _ on,  _ Pads. We aren’t stupid.” 

Remus looked over at Peter for some clue as to what was going on, but to no avail. He had shrunk back, looking just as baffled as Remus felt. James’ grin grew even more as he reached a hand into his robes and withdrew it with a torn piece of parchment in hand. “I found your diary! You sure had a lot to say about this girl. Who knew Sirius Black was a poet?”

Sirius flushed scarlet and snatched the parchment from James’ hand. “It’s a  _ journal,”  _ he snapped, shoving it into his robes, “and it’s MINE. What the hell?!”

James held up his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, dude. I only read that page. Honest!”

A flash of relief swept across Sirius’ face before he returned to a stony composure. “You’re a real twat, you know that, James?” Remus was shocked at the genuine upset he was seeing from his friend. It was just lighthearted teasing, right? What was in that journal? He seemed to finally find his voice. 

“Wow, real name, Prongs. You messed up.”

This remark was rewarded by quite the face from James but Sirius turned his gaze to the ground, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. James, unable to come up with anything else to say for himself, turned and entered the common room in defeat. Peter followed not three steps behind him. Remus made to follow, but hesitated when he saw Sirius lean a shoulder against the stone wall.

“You not coming?”

Sirius looked up. “Not now,” he sighed.

Remus thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Hey. I don’t think he meant to upset you.” When this earned no response, he spoke again. “It isn’t cool to go through people’s stuff, though. I can tell him off, if you want?” Sirius finally looked up from the floor, meeting Remus’ eyes. 

“No. It’s fine. I’m overreacting, really. It’s just- I- That shit’s  _ personal,  _ Moony!”

“I know. He’s a dumbass, y’know, but he meant no harm.”

Sirius ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I just hope he was telling the truth about how much he read.”

This sparked a curiosity in Remus. He had a number of questions, but bit his tongue. Another time. Instead, he simply rested a hand on Sirius’ shoulder for a moment, hoping he was conveying the right message, and headed into the common room. 

James was sitting cross-legged on his bunk when Remus made his way upstairs, and he made a satisfyingly bewildered noise when he was met with a swift smack upside the head. “OW! Moony, what-” He cut himself off there, as Sirius opened the door. He made to apologize again, but Sirius cut him off.

“It’s fine. Forget about it.”

Not twenty minutes later, the boys were all sitting on one bunk, giggling about James’ ever unsuccessful attempts to woo Lily Evans. As they bantered aimlessly, once again the band of misfit boys they usually were, Remus couldn’t help but wonder- what was in that journal that made Sirius so upset? 

As the afternoon faded into evening, the boys made their way down to the Great Hall for dinner, James scanning the crowd for Lily as usual. Peter pointed her out with a subtle point and James shepherded the four of them over in her direction, ignoring the eyerolls from both Remus and Sirius. They ended up situated next to Lily and her clique while she blatantly ignored the ridiculous advances being made.

Remus kicked Sirius gently in the ankle to get his attention, and mouthed “watch this”. He slipped his wand down his sleeve and discreetly pointed it at James’ plate, which was heaping with chicken and mashed potatoes. He murmured a few words under his breath and looked back at Sirius, flashing him a giddy smile. They both turned their attention back to James, who was now trying to pry a chicken leg off of his plate. It seemed suspiciously… stuck. Giving up before embarrassing himself, he reached for his fork and dug into his potatoes, furrowing his brow when his fork glanced off as if it had hit glass. He tried again before turning to look at Sirius, who suddenly seemed very interested in his fingernails. Remus met his eye for a moment and smiled innocently, so James dejectedly went back to trying to chip apart his glass-food.

Remus nudged Sirius again and flicked his wand right as James raised his fork aggressively. He brought it down with vigor, and…

_ Splat. _

Potato. Everywhere. Sirius stifled a snort, biting his lip to prevent from laughing. Remus ducked his head, shoulders shaking, unable to help it. James was fuming and red, and may as well have had steam coming out of his ears. He tried to run a hand nonchalantly through his hair and turn back to Lily, but only smeared potato through his hair. The girls seated around him giggled and he stood suddenly, storming out of the room. Peter, naturally, followed. Sirius finally broke, putting his head in his hands and letting out a guilty laugh. When he and Remus finally regained composure, they rose and chased after the other two, taking their sweet time and still restraining childish giggles. They were notably un-potato covered, despite the mess left on the table.

When they finally returned to the common room and put on straight faces, they were met with a furious James Potter who smelled strongly of gravy. “What did you do that for?!?!” he snapped at Sirius, who feigned innocence.

“What?”

Peter stood defensively at James’ side. “You probably wanted revenge for earlier!”

Sirius shrugged. “I said it was fine, remember? Not mad. Lay off.” He was visibly biting back a snicker but Peter didn’t seem to notice.

James narrowed his eyes and swung his focus instead to a bashful-looking Remus. “Was it you?”

“Nope.”

“I swear I’ll kill you both, bloody hell, you’ve ruined my chances with Lily completely!” There was a small glint of mischief in his eyes that told them they were in no real trouble, so they continued to poke fun.

The dynamic duo both raised their eyebrows sympathetically. 

“Prongs, you never-”

“Dude, you-”

James stormed off before they could finish with promises of vengeance, leaving Peter to look at them wide-eyed before scampering off after him. Remus and Sirius shared one last amused look, mirth dancing in their eyes before they headed up to the room, an unspoken vow of secrecy between the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a thing that I appear to have invested myself in. I guess I'll update fairly often? I have way too much spare time and a dead set plan on where this is going. Prepare for action.
> 
> -A.Burr


	3. What'd I Miss?

After another grueling day of classes, the Marauders found themselves lounging outside in the warm early-fall weather, sprawled under a tree by the water. Remus was sitting up against the tree, a book open on his knee. Sirius was sprawled on his back beside him, gazing lazily up at the sunlight filtering through the branches. Peter sat cross legged next to James, who was lying down too, head propped up on his elbow so he could stare across the field at Lily and her friends. They were sitting on the edge of the lake and talking about something apparently hilarious. Every so often one of them would shoot a dirty look over in the boys’ direction, but it was no deterrent to Lily’s not-so-secret admirer. James had been borderline obsessed with her from the moment he had laid eyes on her, and had made no attempt to hide it. She was not, however, too fond of his arrogant (and loud) advances. In fact, she was coming up with increasingly creative ways to respond, including shoving him into a hedge. James had not been pleased with how often Sirius would reach over to pick a random little twig off him for  _ days  _ afterward.

“James.” Remus spoke up after a moment of quiet observation.

He didn’t answer, too engrossed in his doe-eyed people-watching.

Sirius stepped in, twisting uncomfortably to kick him in the leg, hard. “ _ Prongs.” _

James was snapped out of his stupor with a loud “OW!” to the great amusement of the boys. He wiped a bit of actual drool off his chin with the back of his sleeve.

“You’re being a creep, dude.” Sirius stretched back out, putting his hands behind his head. James did not take kindly to such a comment, and spluttered incoherently for a moment before Peter interjected.

“Go talk to her!”

“How many times has he done that, Wormy?  _ Clearly  _ it won’t work this time.” As Remus spoke, a coy grin spread across his face. He knew what he was doing. He looked over at James, who had an indignant look on his face, then at Sirius, who caught on and chimed in: “Yeah, we all know the drill. No real point, Jamesie.” 

James’ face wrinkled in disgust at the nickname, and he stood. “I know exactly what you gits are trying to do and I’ll have you know I’m going over there of my own accord!,” He tossed back over his shoulder as he walked toward the girls, who were making a point of not looking at him.

Sirius fired back, “Don’t end up in any foliage this time!”

Remus chuckled, earning a disapproving look from Peter.

“You guys didn’t have to be  _ mean  _ about it.”

“Did he not end up going over there?”

“Well yeah, but-”

“Sometimes he needs a bit of pushing around, Pete. He’s got thick skin.” Sirius ruffled Peter’s hair, to his intense displeasure. While he ran a hand repeatedly through his hair in a vain attempt to fix it, Remus’ gaze was drawn to a lone figure some twenty yards away on the grounds. 

It was a tall man walking aimlessly around, In nondescript gray robes and a dark hat pulled down low. Something on his hand glinted in the sunlight. He appeared to be middle-aged, from what Remus could see, and walked with a limp. Nobody else seemed to pay him much mind, but he was definitely an unfamiliar face. Remus wracked his brain for a moment, trying to come up with a reason for a new adult to be wandering around school grounds. Nothing. There were no professors missing at breakfast, and as the only person who actually paid attention to the headmaster’s announcements, nobody outside of the usual staff should be here. Maybe they had yet to be spoken about to the students?

“Hey, guys..?”

“Hm?”

He jerked his head in the direction of the figure. “What’s going on with that? Don’t think I’ve ever seen him around before.”

Sirius furrowed his brow, trying to get a better look. “Substitute teacher, maybe?”

Remus shook his head. “Everyone was there at breakfast. He’s giving me weird vibes, Pads.”

“You’re a dork. Who the bloody hell memorizes the teachers’ attendance, if not for Remus Lupin.” 

Remus glared in response and turned his attention back to staring discreetly at the man. He hadn’t moved very far, and seemed to be staying within view of the tree the boys were sitting under. Remus leaned a bit to try and get a better look, perhaps a more distinguishable trait on the otherwise unremarkable man, when he looked over. Remus jumped and instantly drew back against the tree, busying himself with his book. It was too late, though. From the corner of his eye he could see the man retreating across the grounds toward the castle, which only served to unnerve him more. Remus waited until the man was out of his sight, then leaned over to Sirius, who was knotting pieces of grass together in a vaguely phallic shape.

“Did you see that?!” he hissed.

“What, did James get hit?”

“No, damnit. The creepy guy. The second he saw me looking in his direction he ran off.”

Sirius’ head snapped up. “That’s a bit fuckin’ weird, Moony.”

“More than a bit. The hell’s going on?”

“Too old to be a student, not a supply teacher. Is there any other reason for someone random to be on school grounds?,” Peter piped up.

“Groundskeeper in training, or something?” Sirius pulled at the grass underneath him. 

“You’d think they’d have introduced him, then. And the whole hat-pulled-down plain getup doesn’t scream groundskeeper to me.”

The boys’ brainstorming was interrupted by James’ return, and they looked up to find him drenched in lake water from head to toe, a lopsided grin plastered on his face. He held his fogged-up glasses in one hand and pushed the other through dripping-wet hair. To no one’s surprise, his advance on Lily had gone poorly. “So, what’d I miss?”

-

“You saw  _ what?”  _ James exclaimed as they headed back to the castle. Remus had relayed the situation in a hushed voice, alongside excited interjections from the other two. “This is nuts! Someone watching us! Why?” He was practically jumping in place and had to be shushed with a smack in the arm from Sirius.

“Do you want the entire bloody castle to know?!”

James sheepishly quieted down, but his excitement never faded. They approached the steps to the castle and entered, making for the nearest staircase on instinct. “It’s so sketchy though! Who would be slinking around the castle all stalker-like? And what do they want with us?!”

“Haven’t the faintest clue, but if you don’t  _ shut up-”  _ Remus hissed, but stopped abruptly as they rounded a corner at the top of the flight. 

All four of the boys looked in the direction of a woman dressed in plain gray robes with a darker gray hat pulled down low. She had long, dark brown hair braided down her back and walked slowly down the opposite side of the stairs the marauders were climbing. The hat paired with the overhead lighting made it hard to distinguish many of her facial features, but a scar was faintly visible, a thin line along her jawbone. Everything else about her was unsettlingly plain, except for a thick silver ring on her right middle finger. It had a large, blood-red garnet set into it and some kind of inscription engraved all around the band, but Remus couldn’t make it out before she was past them. 

He glanced over at Sirius and Peter, who both wore similar looks of concern, and then to James, who had finally sobered up. It was clear her similarity to the man from before had registered among them. They all exchanged a look that communicated a resounding “what the fuck”, and hurried up to the common room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really did mean for this to be longer but I've been struggling with it for three days. The next chapter will come very soon it's halfway done!
> 
> A.Burr


End file.
